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BRUNO | NALU

18201 Von Karman Ave.

Suite 1180

Irvine, CA 92612

866-519-3098

www.brunonalu.com 

Ten years ago, Attorney Journal introduced readers to Keith and Angela Bruno—a husband-and-wife team who had founded a law firm on a premise most of their peers called impractical: building a practice not by competing with other attorneys, but by partnering with them. Today, that premise has produced some of the largest verdicts in American legal history, and BRUNO | NALU has grown into one of the most sought-after litigation boutiques in the country.

The firm’s referral-based model—stepping into complex, high-value cases on behalf of other law firms and maximizing results through specialized trial expertise—has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for clients and referral partners alike. Over a decade in, the results speak for themselves.

A Vision Most Said Wouldn’t Work

When Keith and Angela Bruno founded BRUNO | NALU in 2014, neither had a background in personal injury law. Keith had built his practice in criminal defense—a discipline defined by courtroom combat. Angela came from family law, where the art of negotiation and mediation is indispensable. What they shared was a belief that exceptional lawyering, combined with a collaborative business model, could produce extraordinary outcomes.

“A decade ago, I was practicing criminal law, which is heavily trial-focused. Angela was practicing family law. Our skill sets were divergent, but complementary. Starting a firm together was a natural outgrowth of our abilities, our personal relationship, and our willingness to accept the challenges of taking an unusual path.” —Keith Bruno

The model they chose was deliberately unconventional. Rather than build a marketing-driven, high-volume personal injury practice, BRUNO | NALU would serve as the litigation arm for other firms—accepting referrals of complex and high-value cases, taking them through trial, and delivering results that those firms were not positioned to achieve on their own.

“We started with a concept that most colleagues said wouldn’t work. We had two lawyers at the top of the firm with no personal injury experience. But we were excellent lawyers, and we knew our values aligned with representing injured, ordinary people. More than a decade later, we have the record to prove the accuracy of our vision. We are still holding to the original business model—and still succeeding.”—Angela Bruno

A Record That Commands Attention

The proof of BRUNO | NALU’s model is not theoretical—it is documented in court records across the country. The firm holds the highest verdict in the history of Washington State: $857 million in a product liability case decided in December 2023. In November 2024, they secured a record-breaking $421 million medical fraud verdict in New Mexico. Numerous eight- and nine-figure results have followed.

Every case in the table below originated at another law firm. Each represents a referring attorney’s decision to partner with BRUNO | NALU rather than proceed alone.

“We have seen cases that should have resulted in millions, but instead the attorneys recovered nothing. This is usually the result of the wrong strategy and team. If you haven’t been in the weeds—seeing where errors happen—it is too great a risk to hold onto those cases rather than find someone who has specialized in bringing them past the finish line. That is where BRUNO | NALU comes in.”—Angela Bruno



What It Means to Partner With BRUNO | NALU

Most litigation firms manage an abundance of cases. The reality, however, is that the prospect of taking a matter to trial is disruptive to most business models. A favorable settlement is the preferred outcome—but when that path is unavailable, firms need a partner who can step in and fight effectively. That is the role BRUNO | NALU was built to fill.

“Our model is to be of service to our referral partners when they have a particularly challenging case—or one that is extremely high-value and cannot afford to be lost. Understanding the true value of a case and knowing how to recover it is deceptively simple, but never easy. We have the expertise and the track record to do that. What many once doubted could be sustained has become an extraordinary, enduring success.”—Keith Bruno

The firm functions as its referral partners’ litigation department—at no cost to the referring firm. Partners retain their client relationships and their fee interest; BRUNO | NALU handles the courtroom.

Angela Bruno previously worked with one of the Big Five accounting firms in Los Angeles before pivoting to law. Keith Bruno began his legal career in corporate law before becoming a Public Defender—a role that crystallized his commitment to trial advocacy. Those complementary backgrounds inform everything from how the firm evaluates cases to how it prepares witnesses and constructs damages narratives at trial.

“Plenty of firms have tried to hire us as in-house litigation counsel—‘Why don’t you handle all our trials?’ Maintaining our independence is a key factor in staying laser focused on each case rather than drowning in a volume practice.”—Angela Bruno

Technology, Protocol, and the Infrastructure of Excellence

Over the past decade, BRUNO | NALU developed and refined a proprietary AI-powered case management system designed to accelerate trial and settlement preparation regardless of where a case stands when the firm is brought in. As the practice expanded nationally, the firm built rigorous protocols to ensure that every matter—regardless of jurisdiction—moves through the system with full awareness of local rules and state-specific law.

The system has been tested in courtrooms across Washington, Michigan, Iowa, New Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. It is a competitive advantage that allows the firm to move with the speed and precision that high-value cases demand.

Technology, however, is only as effective as the team wielding it.

“Technology without the right team is useless. Our litigation protocol is experience-based and personally delivered. Every case we accept from a referral firm has both Keith and Angela doing the work—personally. Now, more than ever, with Tort Reform attacks expanding across the country, it is critical to partner with a team that has seen it all and is ready for the battle.”—Angela Bruno

Under Assault: The Fight to Preserve Access to Justice

The right to trial by jury—and the rights of injured people to retain qualified counsel—is under sustained attack in California and across the country. BRUNO | NALU has taken an active and public role in opposing two proposed ballot measures in California that would devastate the personal injury system.

The measures, backed in significant part by Uber and other large corporate interests, would cap attorney fees and medical costs in auto cases at 25 percent of recovery—positioned to the public as consumer protection, but operating in practice as a mechanism to reduce corporate liability exposure.

“Lawyers will only be able to afford to take on the highest-dollar cases because they will only be in a position to net roughly eight percent of the recovery. Uber is trying to reduce attorney fees not only to make these cases less attractive for attorneys—they are also limiting the amount of medical care an injured person can receive. The result will be less care, and fewer lawyers willing to take on car accident cases. The citizens of California will have nowhere to turn when they are injured.”—Keith Bruno

The downstream consequences extend beyond the legal profession. When attorneys cannot afford to take cases and physicians cannot expect fair reimbursement, injured people are left without recourse—and the costs of their care shift to taxpayers.

“Uber is on a mission to change the personal injury system by reducing the victim’s access to medical care, reducing the cost of care that is recoverable, and reducing attorney fees. Ultimately, the taxpayer gets stuck with the medical bills.”—Angela Bruno

BRUNO | NALU is committed to fighting this encroachment on access to justice—for their clients, their referral partners, and for the profession as a whole.



Then, Now, and the Decade Ahead

The firm that Angela and Keith Bruno built over the past decade is not the same firm they launched in 2014—it is larger, more sophisticated, more nationally recognized, and more capable. But the core principle has not changed: serve the client, serve the referring firm, and win.

“Our trial practice is the future—and that future is under threat. Trial by jury is being systematically challenged in California and in jurisdictions across the country. Over the next five years, we intend to deepen our presence in the trial courts, continuing to partner with firms in jurisdictions where our expertise can produce transformative results for clients. The infrastructure and systems we have built over the past decade have positioned us well for that growth, and we are excited about what the next chapter holds.”—Keith Bruno

The firm’s success in its primary practice areas has expanded its reach. Law firms are now sending employment cases and matters involving corporate negligence. Sexual assault litigation—including teacher-on-student, student-on-student, and celebrity cases—has emerged as a significant and growing area of focus.

“We have had incredible success with firms bringing us on to resolve or litigate extremely sensitive sex abuse cases. We are now recognized for aggressively pursuing these cases, and I see that arena as a major area of expansion for us.”—Angela Bruno

Angela Bruno has also taken an expanding leadership role in the national trial lawyer community—serving women trial lawyers through multiple professional organizations and speaking broadly on trial strategy and the art of negotiation. Keith has been recognized three times as Orange County Trial Lawyer of the Year.

Together, they speak on national stages spanning the American South, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Rockies. They are active with OCTLA, CAOC, CAALA, the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, WITTS, the Midwest Trial Lawyers Summit, Trial by Human, Trial Lawyers University, and others.

Outside the courtroom, the couple is raising their nine-year-old son, Ford—who has already made clear his intention to join BRUNO | NALU one day. They are active in the archdiocese charities of Orange County through his school, St. Serra, and have adopted Bozeman and Big Sky, Montana as a second home.

“You don’t just hang your shingle and wake up the next day with the skill and battle-hardened ability to fight massive cases. We have spent the last decade proving our concept and building the infrastructure to slay dragons. The next ten years will be incredibly challenging for all lawyers. To meet that challenge, you need a partner who has already proven they are equal to it.”—Keith Bruno